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Snipe Pie

Parboil the birds in stock and a little white wine, seasoned with a grated onion, pepper, salt, and nutmeg; make a forcemeat of three pounds of beef, which scrape fine, likewise a quarter of a pound of fat pork; pound and mix these well together with a little butter and the crumb of two rolls soaked in bouillon; make rather thinner than for soup-balls; season with grated onion, pounded pepper, allspice, cloves, mushrooms, and gherkins chopped fine; and thin the whole with some of the broth in which the snipes were parboiled. Line a dish with this forcemeat; put in the birds with a little of the soup and a small piece of butter; cover with a thick layer of forcemeat; bake an hour and a half. Serve with a sauce as follows. Half a pint of soup, a gill of white wine, a little water, and a piece of butter rolled in flour, stirred till smooth; when it begins to boil, slice in pickled gherkins or lemon. A pie may be made in the same way with young ducks or pigeons, and eaten hot or cold. Probable cost of snipes, from 2s. to 3s. per brace.